Monthly Archives: May 2011

It’s been a year since my hysterectomy. I have a lot of mixed feelings about that. I remember the roller coaster of joy at having my health issues finally resolved vs the sadness and uncertainty of having my girl parts surgically removed.

I actually grieved for my uterus, pre-cancerous cells and all.

Weird. I know.

But true nonetheless.

What a difference a year makes. I’m healthier and happier than I’ve been in ages. My eyes are brighter, my hair shinier, and my step is usually upbeat – at least when I’m not tripping over invisible carpet bumps. I’m using my newfound energy to explore art, friendship, acting, and travel. I’m also finding new ways to eat right and get exercise. I’m on my way to living a better and longer life. I’m not moving as fast forward as I’d like – but I’m moving and that is what counts.

just found out today that the surgeon I was referred to and eventually made my permanent GYN,has been recognized by Castle Connolly Ltd. as not only one of the top doctors in Oklahoma, but in the United States as well. I’m happy for him.

This post written by Deana O’Hara for Redemption’s Heart. All rights reserved 5/31/11

Christian Comedian and everyone’s favorite Mom, Anita Renfroe, has done it again. You may know her from Momsense (Everything a mother would say in 24 hours set to the William Tell Overture) , Good Morning America, Women of Faith, or even the Kraft Food Commercials and I’d like to share with you her latest salute to moms called “In Tha Muthahood.”

I absolutely LOVE this and want to share it with you guys.

Please enjoy.

This post written by Deana O’Hara for Redemption’s Heart, 2011. All rights reserved. Please note that no goods or services were given in exchange for this endorsement. I only share resources that I find encouraging.

Show the love. If you like this post, please click one of the buttons below and share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Stumble or Digg okay. Thanks!

“Finding out you have cancer is like going to sleep in your own bed and waking up in a boxing ring. You’re standing toe to toe with the heavyweight champion of the world. The crowd is looking on, you’re in your pajamas and you don’t even know how to throw a punch.” – Nicole Johnson Fresh Brewed Faith.

I left church in the middle of Easter Services in 2010 and went straight to the hospital. I was in so much pain that I could barely breathe. An ultra sound revealed a mass in my stomach and I was referred to a surgeon. It wasn’t until three months later that we were able to ascertain without a shadow of a doubt that this mass was benign (not cancer). In the gap between finding the mass and the surgery and test results I felt like I had to be strong for my kids, so for them I’d make promises I wasn’t sure I could keep. Telling them I would be fine and that everything will be okay seemed the faithful mother thing to do.

Secretly, for 90 days, I prayed, cried, pleaded and bargained with God. Sometimes, not knowing can be just as scary as knowing.

I have several friends walking through that right now, and all are in my prayers.

I walk these steps with more men and women than I can count. My mother in law was a 45 year breast cancer survivor before she went home to be with the Lord at 86. We have many other friends and relatives who are now celebrating years of remission.

We have also lost my beloved father in law (Dad) to cancer in 2008, our aunt to leukemia in 2007, another aunt to breast cancer in 1994. My best friend from college Amy Jo died from cancer in 2010, she was 44, leaving behind a mother, a brother, and a teenage daughter. She is missed. I do not know why some people recover and other do not. All I know is that, the only absolute found with cancer, is the absolute faithfulness of Christ. It is his faithfulness that get’s all of through one day at a time.

I walk with and support friends who have cancer or their children have cancer or a spouse or whomever as a prayer partner and friend. That is a gift and a privilege I pray I never take lightly.

For every one of my friends who walk this path, my heart hurts. However the test results come back or how high or low the numbers during treatment, know that God is faithful and promises to be with us each step of the way. In each case, we are reminded to look not to the left or to the right, but to keep our eyes focused on Jesus.

This video is the edited for You Tube version of Nicole’s Video Sketch on Stepping into the Ring. It is a hopeful, honest, and inspiring piece. I know many women who gain inspiration from it and so I’m offering it here.

Please note that this is edited and the full version can be seen on her DVD. For anyone of you locally who would like to borrow this DVD to see the full sketch, please let me know. Or if you’d like to purchase more of her heart-felt and inspirational messages, please see her web page.

Tomorrow I will introduce you to a friend of mine named Barb Boswell. Barb is a breast cancer survivor who has written two books and who travels and speaks at women’s groups across America sharing her experience, strength and hope in Jesus Christ.

If you are a cancer survivor, would you please let a word of encouragement in the comments below? Thank you.

This post written by Deana O’Hara for Redemption’s Heart. All rights reserved. No goods or services were received in exchange for this endorsement. I only share resources that I myself find helpful and inspiring.

Known to say the first thing that comes to my mind and sometimes that get's me in trouble. I once told the King of Sweden that he was shorter than I thought he'd be.

Deana O'Hara:

Former Mommy/Garden Blogger. My kids are grown and my gardens are dead. The fact that I got it in that order is a good thing. -- Granted those teen years were pretty touch and go Now what? If I keep trying to dress my husband and cut his meat for him, he's going to get mad at me. I'm exploring life after kids. Art. Music. Comedy. Fitness after 40. Acting. Poetry. And trying to find out if it is possible to date the man whose underwear I've spent the last 21 years picking up off the floor.

This is my journey.

Email Subscription

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Please note you will receive a confirmation email. You must approve that confirmation in order to be added to this mailing list. TY